Ratchet wrench with switch moving in transverse direction

Abstract

A ratchet wrench includes a head and a handle interconnected to the head. The head includes a first compartment rotatably receiving a drive member. Two pawls are slideably received in a compartment of the head. A switch is slideably received in a third compartment of the head between first, second, and third operative positions to change the driving direction of the ratchet wrench. An actuator is slideably received in the second compartment and includes two guiding portions selectively engaged with one of the pawls when the switch is in one of the first and second operative positions. The pawls are disengaged from the guiding portions and engaged with the drive member when the switch is in the third operative positions, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in either of two directions driving a fastener, and not allowing free rotation of the handle relative to the drive member in either of the two directions without driving the fastener.

1. A ratchet wrench comprising, in combination:
 a head and a handle interconnected to the head, with the head including first and second sides spaced in a thickness direction, with the head further including a first compartment extending in the thickness direction, with the head further including a second compartment in communication with the first compartment and a third compartment in communication with the second compartment; 
 a drive member rotatably received in the first compartment, with the drive member including a plurality of teeth in an outer periphery thereof; 
 first and second pawls slideably received in the second compartment, with each of the first and second pawls including an inner face facing the plurality of teeth of the drive member, with the inner face of each of the first and second pawls including a plurality of teeth releasably engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, with an elastic element being mounted between the first and second pawls to bias the first and second pawls away from each other to engage the plurality of teeth of the first and second pawls with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, with the first pawl including a first coupling portion, with the second pawl including a second coupling portion; 
 a switch slideably received in the third compartment between first, second, and third operative positions in a width direction transverse to the thickness direction; and 
 an actuator slideably received in the second compartment and including an engaging portion having a first end engaged with the switch to move therewith, with the engaging portion further having a second end in the second compartment, with the actuator further including an extension extending transversely to the second end of the engaging portion, with the extension including a first guiding portion and a second guiding portion; 
 wherein when the switch is in the first operative position, the plurality of teeth of the first pawl are engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the second guiding portion of the actuator is engaged with the second coupling portion of the second pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the second pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in a first direction driving a fastener in the first direction, and allowing the handle to rotate freely relative to the drive member in a second direction reverse to the first direction without driving the fastener, 
 wherein when the switch is in the second operative position, the plurality of teeth of the second pawl are engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, the first guiding portion of the actuator is engaged with the first coupling portion of the first pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the first pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in the second direction driving the fastener in the second direction, and allowing the handle to rotate freely relative to the drive member in the first direction without driving the fastener, and 
 wherein when the switch is in the third operative position, the plurality of teeth of each of the first and second pawls are engaged with the plurality of teeth of the drive member, allowing the handle and the drive member to rotate in either of the first and second directions driving the fastener, and not allowing free rotation of the handle relative to the drive member in either of the first and second directions without driving the fastener. 
 
     
     
       2. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 1 , with the first and second guiding portions on opposite sides of the engaging portion, with each of the first and second guiding portions extending transversely to the extension and including a first contact section and a second contact section having a spacing to the extension larger than the first contact section,
 wherein when the switch is in the first operative position, the second contact section of the second guiding portion is engaged with the second coupling portion of the second pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the second pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, 
 wherein when the switch is in the second operative position, the second contact section of the first guiding portion is engaged with the first coupling portion of the first pawl to disengage the plurality of teeth of the first pawl from the plurality of teeth of the drive member, and 
 wherein when the switch is in the third operative position, the first and second coupling portions are disengaged from the second contact sections of the first and second guiding portions. 
 
     
     
       3. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 2 , with the second contact section of each of the first and second guiding portions having a spacing to the engaging portion larger than the first contact section, with each of the first and second contact sections having decreasing spacings to the engaging portion away from the switch. 
     
     
       4. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 3 , with a first space defined between the first guiding portion and the engaging portion, with the first coupling portion of the first pawl movably received and restrained in the first space, with a second space defined between the second guiding portion and the engaging portion, and with the second coupling portion of the second pawl movably received and restrained in the second space. 
     
     
       5. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 4 , with each of the first and second pawls further including a top face transverse to the inner face, with the first coupling portion formed on the top face of the first pawl, with the second coupling portion formed on the top face of the second pawl, and with the extension slideably abutting the top faces of the first and second pawls. 
     
     
       6. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 3 , with the extension including upper and lower faces spaced in the thickness direction, with each of the first and second guiding portions extending downward from the lower face, with a space defined between the lower face and the first and second guiding portions, and with the first and second coupling portion movably received and restrained in the space. 
     
     
       7. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 6 , with each of the first and second pawls further including a top face transverse to the inner face, with the first coupling portion formed on the top face of the first pawl, with the second coupling portion formed on the top face of the second pawl, with each of the first and second coupling portion having a top spaced from the top face in the thickness direction, and with the lower face of the extension slideably abutting the tops of the first and second coupling portions of the first and second pawls. 
     
     
       8. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 3 , with the third operative position intermediate the first and second operative positions in the width direction, with the third compartment extending in the width direction, with the third compartment including a wall having first, second, and third positioning grooves with the first, second, and third positioning grooves spaced in the width direction, with the second positioning groove intermediate the first and third positioning grooves, with the ratchet wrench further comprising, in combination: a positioning device coupled with the switch and selectively engaged with one of the first, second, and third positioning grooves to retain the switch in one of the first, second, and third operative positions. 
     
     
       9. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 8 , with the switch further including a side having a receptacle, with the positioning device including a ball and an elastic member received in the receptacle, with the ball biased by the elastic member to engage with one of the first, second, and third positioning grooves to retain the switch in one of the first, second, and third operative positions. 
     
     
       10. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 9 , with the first compartment extending from the first side through the second side, with the second compartment intermediate the first and second sides in the thickness direction, with the second compartment intermediate the first and third compartments in a length direction perpendicular to the width and thickness directions, and with the third compartment extending from the first side toward and spaced from the second side in the thickness direction. 
     
     
       11. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 10 , with each of the first and second pawls further including a top face transverse to the inner face, with the first coupling portion formed on the top face of the first pawl, with the second coupling portion formed on the top face of the second pawl, with the second compartment including a peripheral wall facing the first compartment, with each of the first and second pawls further including an outer face opposite to the inner face, with the outer face slideably abutting the peripheral wall of the second compartment, with the top face extending between the inner and outer faces, with each of the first and second pawls including an end face transverse to the top face and to the inner face, with the end faces facing each other and each having a receptacle, with the elastic element including two ends received in the receptacles. 
     
     
       12. The ratchet wrench as claimed in  claim 3 , with each of the first and second guiding portions being inclined and at an obtuse angle with the extension.